A Think Twice Review of:

The Education Choice and Competition Index: Background and Results 2012

Think Twice - Jan 29, 2013

Publisher/Think Tank - Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst and Sarah Whitfield

Author(s) -

This report from the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution attempts to make a connection between parental satisfaction for schools and the purported collective benefits arising from market-based education polices. It includes an index which grades school districts using 13 categories, including the percentage of students enrolled in alternative schools other than traditional public schools. A review found weaknesses in the index’s subjective scoring system, as well as a lack of research behind the report’s recommendations, making the Brookings’ product fall short of being an effective policy tool.

Reviewer(s) - David Garcia, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University

The report and its choice index fail to advance education policy decisions and only rehash old arguments for unregulated school choice. David Garcia, who reviewed the report, found it makes no substantiated connection between satisfaction and the purported benefits arising from market-based education policies. The review also found weaknesses in the index’s subjective scoring system, as well as a lack of research behind the report’s recommendations, making the Brookings’ product fall short of being an effective policy tool.